thehellfireclubmarvelfandomcom-20200214-history
The Phoenix Force
' The Phoenix Force,' is an ageless cosmic entity that exists in all universes and it is neither alive nor dead. Its first appearance was in the Uncanny X-Men comic The Phoenix Saga and again in January 1980 during the Dark Phoenix Saga issues No. 129 – 137, in which the Phoenix Force turns evil after being seduced by the Hellfire Club and Jean Grey’s emotions. The Phoenix Saga Originally the Phoenix force was the guardian of the M’Kraan crystal, which belonged to the Shi’ar Empire, its mission was to protect the crystal from falling into the wrong hands such as the evil Emperor of the Shi’ar, D’Ken. D’Ken overtime of being Emperor grew mad and lustful for power. Emperor D’Ken’s sister Lilandra broke into the scared temple of Shi’ar after learning of her brother’s plans to suck the universes into the crystal and create a new universe in which he could rule, but unknowingly destroy both the universe and himself. D’Ken had his agents such as Erik the Red and Gladiator track down Lilandra, who traveled to Earth and contacted professor Charles Xavier through telepathy. The X-Men arrived at her aide along with Jean Grey Summers, now possessed by the Phoenix Force due to her telepathic and empathic abilities. D’Ken battled against the Phoenix Force and was trapped inside the crystal that the Phoenix inside the burning heart of the Sun from Earth’s solar system. After safety hiding the crystal the Phoenix Force returned to Earth and began feeling new sensations and experiences she had never felt before through Jean Grey’s body. The feelings grew stronger and the Phoenix grew attached and refused to leave, this attachment to Jean Grey’s body eventually caused it to transform onto the wicked and vengeful creature known as the Dark Phoenix. The Dark Phoenix Saga Upon returning to Earth the Hellfire Club learned of the Phoenix Force’s existence and Jason Wyngarde also known as Mastermind and the White King of the Hellfire Club, followed the X-Men team returning home. Flying in his luxurious Hellfire jet bellow the X-Men’s Blackbird, he used his powers of illusion to seduce the Phoenix still inhabiting Jean Grey Summer’s body. Wyngarde locked minds with her and made Jean think she was in the 1700’s on a ship heading for America and that he was the love of her life, however he couldn’t fully seduce her at the time since her true love Scott Summers entered the fantasy and eventually brought her back to reality. Mastermind again used his powers on Jean when she and Scott traveled to a nightclub to find Dazzler. Wyngarde tapped Jean on the shoulder and when looking at him she was transported back into the 1700’s, another fantasy. In this fantasy she was getting married to Wyngarde in burned down church in woodland Glade of lower Manhattan. Sebastian Shaw presided as a the Bishop that married them, and shortly after Jean Grey is proclaimed the Hellfire Club’s Black Queen, her cape is then removed followed by a passion kiss with Wyngarde which Scott interrupts and Wyngarde smiles and leaves. Finally the third attempt of seduction turns the Phoenix Force against the X-Men and Jean Grey has been fully taken over by the Phoenix. This happens when Jean and the other X-Men visit the Hellfire Club mansion undercover and Jean is swept away into a dance with Wyngarde with interrupts her original dance with Scott. Jean enters the 18th century once again and this time Scott is there as well, Mastermind reveals his true form which Scott then sees and follows them upstairs to confront Mastermind. Now with full control over the Phoenix Mastermind orders her to disable Scott Summers, which she intern does, Scott his taken as a prisoner along with the other X-Men later on, with the exception of Wolverine who escapes by falling into the sewer system. After capturing all the X-Men and believing Wolverine to have drowned in the sewer, the Hellfire Club gloats over their victory and Jean is proclaimed the Black Queen in reality this time. Time jumps back to the 18th century and the captured X-Men are present in Jean’s mind but unaffected by the illusion instead the suggest Jean is reliving a memory of a past ancestor. In this time frame Storm is a slave owned by Jean and she is tortured by her into revealing where she hid the lock picks, Storm is shocked by this and tries to convince Jean that she is her friend since this is the truth they are friends. Jean doesn’t buy this and states they aren’t friends and that she owns her. Scott later tries to reach out to Jean’s mind as they have a physic bond, his quest are interrupted by Mastermind who creates an empty world full of twists and turns. Mastermind confronts Scott with Jean present and the two dual with swords over control of Jean’s mind with the Phoenix Force posing as Jean helping Mastermind. Scott is injured and the Hellfire Club believe him to be of no further threat, Mastermind states that Jean Grey belongs to the Hellfire Club body and soul, now and forever. After believing that have completely defeated the X-Men Wolverine shows up and busts down the door throwing two of the guards in the room. A battle ensues, the X-Men are freed and Wyngarde orders the Phoenix to destroy the X-Men, which she fails to do and at that point Jean takes full control and tells Wolverine to go and help the X-Men. Jean takes off and is taken over once more by the Phoenix who has been completely consumed by evil and is hungry for more emotions. Wyngarde confronts his queen and tries to use his illusions on her, however this time she is able to see past them and uses her abilities to show him her true form trapping him forever inside his mind and rendering him a vegetable. Scott then confronts Jean coming out of a room and tries to help her, she and Scott escape with the other X-Men from the Hellfire club mansion, which Sebastian Shaw and Donald Pierce also escape vowing revenge. Safely on the X-Jet on their way home Jean can’t control the Phoenix and the Phoenix takes full control and blows up the X-Jet. All onboard thankfully aren’t killed, however, The Phoenix Force states, “Hear Me, X-Men! No Longer Am I The Woman You Knew! I Am Fire, And Life Incarnate! Now And Forever I Am Phoenix!” After which she is dressed in gold and black with the phoenix insignia on her chest and she is now known as the Dark Phoenix. The X-Men battle the dark phoenix before she takes off causing a stir in the sky, which alerts Sebastian Shaw with Senator Kelly, The Thing, Mr. Fantastic, Spiderman, the Silver Surfer, and Dr. Strange as well as also causes a commercial jet to have engine failure. The dark Phoenix heads to outer space where she travels to a distant galaxy and feeds on a star causing it to go supernova and destroy that galaxy; wiping out a peace loving species inhabiting the fourth planet in that system. A Shi’ar Starcruiser witnesses the Dark Phoenix feeding. The Dark Phoenix sees them and damages their ship before disembarking back to Earth. The Phoenix arrives at Jean Grey Summer’s childhood home and the X-Men are there waiting in hiding. Jean takes full control of her body and relives her childhood memories also meeting up with her parents who are happy to see her but also scared and concerned for her well being. She tells her parents she can’t control her abilities and shows them, they freak out and the she has an argument with her father, which causes the Dark Phoenix to take control again and leave the house. Nightcrawler teleports on her while flying away and tries to shove a device on her head which she throws him off her and burns the device. The X-Men show up and a battle starts, shortly after when it seems the X-Men are close to defeat Charles Xavier uses his telepathy to enter the Dark Phoenix and Jean’s mind, and duals the Phoenix. Xavier wins and binds the Phoenix inside Jean’s mind just as the Phoenix had done with D’Ken inside the M’Kraan Crystal. Jean returns too normal just as the Lilandra and her guards show up ordering the death of Jean Grey Summers and the Phoenix Force. The X-men are brought to trial n the Shi’ar Homeworld and sentenced to a dual to the death against Shi’ar agents and a day later the battle begins. During the battle the Dark Phoenix resurfaces and tries to kill everyone in sight. Knowing Lilandra is right and there is no way to contain the Phoenix Xavier orders the X-Men to kill the Phoenix Force which both Scott and Wolverine are hesitant to do. Jean gains control for a split second and orders Scott to kill her, which he can’t so she disables him and ends up being killed by Shi’ar agents using ancient weapons, once she was drained of enough energy. Nothing is left but a pile of ash and the Phoenix Force is no more with Scott mourning for his beloved Jean Grey. The Phoenix in other media The Phoenix Force has made it to numerous cartoon shows and three video games as well as the live action X-Men film, X-Men: The Last Stand from 2006, and the most popular version of the Phoenix Force is the dark phoenix. X-Men: The Animated Series (1994) This is the Phoenix Forces first ever media appearance on screen, the Phoenix first appears in season 3 during the Phoenix Saga, which is composed of four episodes and then again in the Dark Phoenix Saga also comprised for four episodes all of which are 30 minutes in length. The episodes are closely accurate to the comic issues 129 – 137, but have minor differences such as rogue being present in place of Nightcrawler and Colossus not being present at all, however the storyline remains the same and the Hellfire Club is present as well and goes by the Inner Circle to avoid Fox Kids from being sued. In this series the Phoenix Force possesses Jean Grey when she is forced to land a United States Space shuttle Starcore that is dangerously entering Earth’s gravitational pull. The Phoenix senses Jeans call for help through Jean’s empathic and telepathic abilities and lends her, her aide, in the series the Phoenix Force has a female voice that actually speaks to the X-Men and she classifies herself as a female. The Phoenix Force during the first half of the Phoenix arch The Phoenix Saga, is portrayed as the protagonists and fights alongside the X-Men to defeat D’Ken and his Shi’ar agents while giving Jean full control of her body. After D’Ken is defeated and she travels to Earth’s sun and hides the crystal there with D’Ken trapped inside the crystal. Now in the second arch The Dark Phoenix Saga, The Phoenix Force returns to Earth still possessing Jean Grey. She washes up on a rock in the sea, where she is found by the X-Men and taken to Dr. Moyra McTaggerts facility on Murr Island, to be examined. At that point the Inner circle is fully aware of the Phoenix’s existence thanks in part to Emma Frost, who is the antagonist in this series. Emma advises the Hellfire Club to forget about trying to recruit dazzler and to instead focus on getting the Phoenix under their control. Jason Wyngarde uses his powers of illusion on Jean Grey with the help of Emma Frost’s telepathic abilities. In the comics Jason did not need Emma instead his powers could enter peoples minds regardless, this was the same in the film X-Men 2: United. Eventually the Inner circle takes control of Jean and the Phoenix when a distressed Jean sees Scott kissing the mutant Dazzler. In a private ceremony at the circle club mansion, Jean and Jason are married with Sebastian Shaw presiding over them as the minister; Emma Frost, Harry Leland and Donald Pierce are also present. The X-men are then captured after the break in and crash the wedding, with the exception of Wolverine who is thrown in the sewer and assumed dead just like in issue 133 of the comics. Wolverine eventually rescues the X-Men and Jean Grey turns into the dark Phoenix after trapping Mastermind in his own mind. The Dark phoenix battles the X-Men and destroys a star system that is uninhabited unlike in the comics. Xavier later binds the dark phoenix in jeans mind with Jeans helps and for a time the phoenix are no more. Lilandra ordering that Jean Grey the Phoenix must die confronts x-Men. Xavier invades Lilandra mind through their physic connection, and challenges the Shi’ar to a duel, which she cannot refuse according to Shi’ar law. During the battle the Phoenix resurfaces and Xavier orders the X-Men to kill Jean, they use all of their powers on her and but don’t kill the Phoenix, instead the Phoenix transports them all to Earth and leaves Jean’s body with Jean still alive. The Phoenix Force apologizes for her actions and states before departing that she lost her away, the Phoenix since the Dark Phoenix Saga has never made another appearance in the series. X-Men Evolution (2003) Wolverine and the X-Men (2010) In this series the Phoenix Force is portrayed as a split personality from Jeans following the same direction as in the live action film from 2006 X-Men: The Last stand, which both times professor Xavier has put up mental barriers to prevent the Phoenix from escaping and destroying humanity. The Hellfire Club is present in this series but again to avoid being criticized or possibly sued for using the word Hellfire in a children’s series the Club went by the Inner Circle just as in X-Men the animated series. Despite Emma Frost being portrayed as the protagonist in this series, she is for a short time the antagonist when she is manipulated into helping them gain control of the Phoenix. After rescuing her from Mister Sinister, Emma uses her powers to render everyone in the mansion unconscious; she and the Inner Circle kidnap Jean and take her back to their mansion. Jean is kept unconscious most of the time and is seen wearing a red cocktail dress, mirroring the dark phoenix’s color, same as was done in the live action film. Finally Emma uses her powers to wake jean up and tells her no one is here to harm her, then she explains to Jean that the circle club has been studying the phoenix force for centuries and each time the phoenix possesses an individual whole towns are destroyed, and that is why Jean must help them to destroy the Phoenix. Emma shows Jean a room full of ancient relics and paintings to prove she’s isn’t lying and Jean agrees to help. Then Sebastian Shaw, Donald Pierce and Selene show up and explain also that the Phoenix must be destroyed. Jean wants to leave but Emma and the Inner circle refuse to let her leave and when she tries to she is rendered unconscious. While probing Jean’s mind along with a few other female psychics Emma is alerted to Scott in trouble and goes to help, shortly after learning the Inner Circles true motives, to remove the Phoenix from Jean’s body and control it to serve their own purposes. After Emma leaves Shaw orders the psychics to continue despite Emma’s pleas for them to wait for her return. Later on as the battle ensues between Magneto, the Sentinels and the X-Men, The Stepford Cuckoos manage to get Jean to open up the psychic barriers in which the Phoenix is released and they merge with it, only to be stopped when Scott stops jean with red blasts from his eyes, rebelling the phoenix and allow Emma to contain the Phoenix. Emma does contain the phoenix for a short time and when Jean, scott and Wolverine are out of sight she releases it and dies in the process with shards of her diamond form raining down from the sky. When the battle is over the X-men meet with Professor X who tells them they saved the future from the Sentinels and the Phoenix, however they will be in for the fight of their lives as Apocalypse is seen along side Sinister and Fizroy, ruling the world in this new reality the professor speaks of. X-Men Films In both the live action X-Men films, X-Men 2: United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), the Phoenix Force is portrayed as a split personality of Jeans representing the wild side of her, anger, desire, lust and joy. Professor Xavier through his sessions with Jean, put up mental barriers in Jeans mind to prevent harm to Jean, those around her, and the split persona became known as the Phoenix. After the first X-Men film when battling magneto the strain of using her psychic abilities became too much for her that the Phoenix began to emerge in the second film the Last Stand and at brief moments she was unable to control her powers. By the end of the second film Jean uses her powers to help save the X-Men from the enormous waves of water about to collapse on them. In turn it was presumed Jean had drowned and by the third film she had already wrapped herself in a cocoon of telekinetic energy, which by that point the Phoenix fully emerged. Now in the third film, Jean’s supposed death had driven Scott mad with anger and grief that he thought he was hearing things, when in reality he wasn’t it was Jean reaching out to him through their psychic bond, which is portrayed in all forms of the X-Men franchise. Scott travels to Alkaline lake and is driven mad by Jean’s voice which he then uses a blast from his eyes that creates a massive whirlpool freeing Jean from her slumber and also the Phoenix persona as well. Scott happily reunited with Jean and they share a kiss, which burns Scott into a pile of ash, renders Jean unconscious and alerts professor Xavier and the other mutants of her presence. Xavier orders Logan (Wolverine) and Storm to get to the lake, which they find an unconscious Jean controlling the weather and levitating rocks and leaves. Jean is taken back to the mansion and Xavier puts back up the mental barriers with Logan getting angry and disapproving stating, “When you cage the beast, the beast gets angry,” Xavier responded, “You have no idea of what she is capable of.” Hours later Jean is woken up by Logan and she tries to have sex with him and he refuses, then Jean takes control for a brief moment and then cries stating she can’t control the Phoenix after Logan asks what happened to Scott. Jean escapes from the mansion using her powers to remove a steel door and returns to her parents home, same as she did in the animated series as well as the Dark Phoenix Saga comic book. Xavier and the X-Men arrive at Jeans parents house and are met by Magneto and his brotherhood of Mutants. Magneto orders his brotherhood to stop the X-Men and others from entering. Magneto and Xavier enter the house and confront Jean, Xavier tries to get her to come home and tells her she’s sick while Magneto says the opposite and Jean finds herself siding with Magneto and warns Xavier to get out of her head when he tries to enter. A battle ensues between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, and Jean burns Xavier to ash when they lock minds, distraught by his best friend Xavier’s death, Magneto takes Jean and they leave. Jean joins the brotherhood of mutants but during which times scares Magneto who eventually accepts the fact that the Phoenix Force can’t be controlled. Later towards the end of the film the Dark Phoenix comes into her full powers and kills all the soldiers during the battle on Alcatraz prison. To stop her Logan painfully approaches her burning his flesh off that regenerates and says he will die for her, Jean gains control and orders him to kill her which he does and as she dies in his arms everything returns to normal with the exception of the golden gate bridge which magneto partly destroyed. At the end of the film three memorials are erect in the garden for Professor Xavier, Jean Grey and Scott summers, and Storm is seen running Xavier’s school alongside Logan. Video Games The Phoenix Force appears in several video games, X-Men: Mutant Academy for Sony Play Station, in which jean uses the codes name Phoenix and the Dark Phoenix. The second video game appearance is in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, followed by a third and fourth appearance Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Marvel Ultimate Alliance II and finally in Marvel Vs. Capcom the Fate of Two worlds, in which Jean Grey is a fully playable character just like in the other games listed above. There is a Spider-Phoenix costume in the Spiderman video game Spiderman: Enter Electro, however it is only the costume and when the player as Spiderman wears it they do not have the Phoenix Force's powers, spiderman is only represented as a host for the Phoenix. Comic Book Gallery Media Gallery Category:The Phoenix Force Category:The Phoenix Category:The Dark Phoenix Category:The White Phoenix Category:The Phoenix Saga Category:The Dark Phoenix Saga Category:The Hellfire Club